Long before Instagram had a location feature to image posts, I had the idea to create a social network based around discovering experiences around you. Built up layers of human experiences in the places where they occurred, viewable by future visitors. Imprints became that idea, allowing users to record location-based photos, videos, and audio clips and share them. I named this kind of location-based media experience an Imprint. Nearby users could discover Imprints around them, and all users could view a global feed, as well as leaving comments and following the users they liked.

COLOR PALETTE

The color palette was inspired by Moleskin notebooks. Textures were used to further this aesthetic and provide a rich, tactile interface.

ICONOGRAPHY

Icons that represent the imprint type, either audio, video, or photo.

For the design of this icon I needed to capture the idea of leaving a recording of experiences behind. Humans have been making a public record of their interactions with the world around them for thousands of years, and the earliest examples we know about are the various prehistoric cave drawings which captured their experiences. The unique and recognizable drawings of the roughly 17,000 year-old cave figures in Lascaux, France provided the perfect metaphor for the app.

LAYOUT

Imprints was designed back in the days of iOS 5, when textures ruled the land and there was only one size of iPhone. Because this app was centered around recording experiences wherever you might find them, I chose a journal theme inspired by Moleskin notebooks and tactile linens.

I designed and coded a set of custom filters that lean towards the artistic, including a cross-processing emulation that randomizes its effects. It was available as an in-app purchase within Imprints.